New Beginnings
by Dark Ice Dragon
Summary: There was one thing M-21 wished he didn't have to get used to again. But it's not what M-21 thought it was.


**Summary** : There was one thing M-21 wished he didn't have to get used to again. But it's not what M-21 thought it was.

Set post-season 1.

I was writing this for the fandomweekly challenge community on dreamwidth with the prompt 'new beginnings' with the bonus prompt 'It happened on the first of the month'. I initially misread as 'it happened on the first of every month' which is how the fic came about.  
Problem is/was, the maximum word count for the challenge is 1k, and yeah, this fic is over that and there's no way I could cut this down to that length. The summarised version didn't seem to work out either, so I decided to just go with the version I intended and not post it to the community.

* * *

 **New Beginnings  
**

By Dark Ice Dragon

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M-21 gritted his teeth against the wave of dizziness, the edges of his vision brightening and threatening to overwhelm everything. He'd gone through this before. It would pass, one way or another.

But this time there were no scientists watching for his reactions, no M-24 to look after him when he collapsed. Frankenstein was around, somewhere, but he didn't want the scientist to know how weak he really was. If he did find out, Frankenstein could decide he was too much trouble to bother with and throw him out. He couldn't allow that to happen, not when he'd just found a possibly safe place to be.

The moment passed and M-21 closed his eyes, gripping the mattress of the bed he'd been given, his hands trembling. It had been a long time since he'd _had_ a bout of weakness, not since he'd stopped needing the pills.

His hands were different. His fingernails. He frowned, bringing one hand up to study it. His fingernails were lighter, not the almost black they used to be.

He hadn't had a chance to find out what exactly Raizel-nim had done when he'd awoken his power, not when he'd been distracted by everything else, and M-21 flexed his hand, transforming it.

His claws were white and only extended a little past his past his fingertips instead of being longer than the length of his hand. So some of the change had been permanent — he'd thought he would have gone back to the transformation he knew afterwards.

He shook his head. He'd wasted enough time with his weakness already.

He could double-check the differences later on, when he'd gotten back from the school.

xOx

It was a few days later until the next bout of dizziness and M-21 curled up on the floor, waiting for it to pass as the ground tilted like it was trying to flip him upside down.

It _would_ pass. It had to.

He focused on filling his lungs, sucking in one breath at a time as his ears buzzed, hearing everything, but it was as if it was coming through a filter. As if he was in the tank again.

He hated this. He _hated this_. Being so weak and helpless and not being able to do _anything_ about it.

Hah. What 'true power' did he have? That must have all been Raizel-nim's abilities that had boosted his transformation.

The feeling faded and M-21 reached for the closest thing to help him stand. It was the desk and M-21 braced his hands on it, making sure his legs could hold him, that the dizziness was gone and that it wouldn't resurge as soon as he was upright.

His hands were different again. M-21 stared down at them, flexing them. He was sure he hadn't tried to transform, but his hands were _furrier_ than before. The fur wasn't as long as the flashes of memories he had of when Raizel-nim had awakened him, but there was more hair than there had been.

Nothing happened when he tried to dismiss them, and his claws scored the desk as he transformed his hands, the fur lengthening as the skin there itched.

The fur didn't recede completely when he dismissed the transformation, staying at the length it had been before.

Shit. What was happening? Every time he was dizzy now, his transformation took over his body a little more?

He couldn't go to Frankenstein. He still wasn't sure about the scientist, if Frankenstein would turn around and change the rules on a whim.

What else had changed when Raizel-nim awakened him? He couldn't remember. His hands and the sense of overwhelming _power_ was all that he got from the glimpses he had of that moment. He didn't feel any stronger than before, the dizziness still clinging on at the edges of his awareness instead.

He had a few hours before dinner; that should be enough time to recover from the dizziness.

xOx

It happened in his bathroom the next time. At least the tiles were cool and something else to focus on as he sweated, going clammy.

He could hear voices, maybe two, but that was probably the sound of the electricity digging right into his ears.

"M-21!"

 _That_ was clear, and there were hands on him, checking his throat and wrists.

Takeo's face hovered in front of him, his edges bright. "Do you want Frankenstein?"

No. Yes. Frankenstein wouldn't be able to do anything — he'd always been this weak and Frankenstein couldn't fix that.

"Can you drink water?"

He could already hear the water running, and he nodded. He pushed himself up but tensed when he felt someone's hands on him, helping to steady him.

The hands -Takeo's hands. Tao was still by the sink- left and he moved back to lean on the wall.

The glass of water was held out in front of him and he reached out for it. His coordination was still a little shit and when his fingers touched the glass, he slid his fingers around it, grabbing it that way.

He waited a few seconds and then sipped, his stomach accepting it.

"Better?" Tao asked.

"A little." His voice sounded weak. He was.

His hands though... M-21 frowned at them. They were the same as before.

"M-21?"

"Last time," M-21 said, still staring at them in case he'd missed something, "my hands changed afterwards." Or during. He hadn't been able to check while he was laid out on the floor. His mouth felt weird, but that was the after effects of the dizziness.

"Uh..." When M-21 glanced at Takeo, he was staring at his mouth, his eyebrows drawn in.

"What?"

"...You didn't have fangs before."

Shit. So that was it this time. Fangs. _Fuck_. He'd figured out what was happening when Frankenstein had told him he had a werewolf heart, and just how far was his heart going to change him?

He exhaled everything in his lungs in a long sharp hiss and then sucked in a deep breath.

He stopped halfway through, almost coughing, and Takeo and Tao reached for his shoulders.

He could _smell_ them.

He could pick out what smells were Tao's, what were Takeo's, and he knew which ones were his own.

"Shit," he muttered. "I...need to see Frankenstein. And," he said, closing his eyes as someone took the glass from him, hearing the others stand up, "I... Could I have some help there?" He wasn't sure if he could make it all the way down to the lab by himself, not when his body could still be changing. He could _feel_ his new fangs pressing against his lips and it was a surprise he hadn't cut them yet.

"Of course." There was no mocking tone, no sarcastic remark, and the hands that helped him up were gentle.

He leaned on Takeo, identified by how he could rest his cheek on a shoulder and his scent, getting his bearings and just. Revelling that he could ask for help from someone.

That he wasn't alone anymore.

Tao's hand was on his other shoulder. "Do you want me to get him instead?"

M-21 shook his head. "I should be able to make it." With both of them at his side.

"All right then!"

Together, they left his room.

xOx

"Hey, Boss!" Tao called out as M-21 and Takeo made their way towards the scanner bed.

Frankenstein's lab was even stranger now that M-21's sense of smell was better. It smelled more of food than it did of the sharp chemicals M-21 associated with a Union lab; no wonder he'd felt more relaxed here than he'd ever been at the Union.

"Yes?" Frankenstein walked out from one of the spaces between the machines. "What's-" He focused on M-21. "Ah. What happened?"

There was a pause and M-21 blinked when all the focus was on him. He'd thought Tao would fill Frankenstein in straight away since he enjoyed talking that much.

"I've been having dizzy spells," M-21 said, seeing Frankenstein's lips purse. His eyes didn't narrow, so he wasn't angry, just concentrating on what M-21 was saying. "I'm used to them so I didn't think much of it." The only thing that had been different from his usual ones was the lack of pain that felt like something was alive inside his body and trying to shred everything there.

"But..." He lifted his lip, letting Frankenstein see his new fangs as he raised a hand for him to see as well. "Afterwards, something changes."

"Wait," Tao said as Frankenstein inspected his hand, running his fingers over the back of it, "you weren't that hairy before?"

"No," M-21 said with a snort. "It only started when I arrived here. Since I was awakened."

Frankenstein paused. "...Ah, I see."

"Awakened?" Takeo repeated, looking between them.

"Master has an ability that can draw out a person's inherent powers," Frankenstein said. He didn't add more, asking instead, "Can you transform for me?"

M-21 did. The transformation felt the same, and it didn't look that different from the last time he'd practiced.

"The Union transplanted a werewolf heart into me," M-21 told Takeo and Tao while Frankenstein busied himself with his transformation. M-21 shrugged. With the changes he was going through, it seemed obvious what was going on.

"Have you noticed any differences in your thoughts lately?" Frankenstein asked, and M-21 blinked, mulling over the question.

"No, why?" Not that he'd noticed.

"There could be chance you might also inherit some werewolf instincts, as well as physical traits," Frankenstein said, stepping back and nodding. "You can dismiss your transformation now. If it hasn't started I don't believe it will, but I would still like to scan you to make sure there isn't anything I missed."

M-21 nodded and lay down on the scanner bed.

"Boss, could I...?" Tao asked as Frankenstein pushed the button to slide him into the machine and M-21 closed his eyes, letting the light wash over him.

xOx

M-21 had just gone to his room after dinner when another wave of dizziness hit him. He'd been able to pull out his phone as his vision brightened, typing [help] and finding one name he wanted through knowing where it was in his contacts rather than sight.

His door opened…he wasn't sure how long it had been since he'd sent the text but he sighed at the hands on him, recognising Takeo and Tao's scents.

They carried him to bed, Tao curling up next to him and M-21 heard running water.

This was good. Takeo joined them and he basked in their warmth, enjoying being surrounded by people again. He felt different this time — he was still dizzy, but there was a calmness in him, like this was it. Like he knew this was the last change, whatever it was.

It didn't take long for the dizziness to pass and they helped him to sit up, Takeo giving him the water.

Tao peered at him while he drank and then snickered, pulling out his phone and switching it to camera. "Say kimchi~!"

He didn't have time to, the phone clicking before he'd been able to pull the glass away from his mouth.

"So..." Tao said, showing him the picture and zooming in on M-21's face. ...Shit. "I think we might need to get you contacts."

His pupils were slitted and his irises had lightened so they were only a bit darker than his sclera.

"Or just tell the children you're wearing contacts. Throw on a pair of sunglasses at school, and no-one'll really know!"

"That sounds like it'll work," M-21 said, yawning. Someone took the glass from him and he slid down the bed so he was lying down again, Takeo and Tao's scents comforting to him as he closed his eyes. He was done with changing.

Now it was time to rest.

* * *

I was going to have M-21 develop pointy ears at the same time as getting slitted eyes, but I felt it would have been a bit much to focus on at once so I left it out.


End file.
